Jazz Articles about Mika Pohjola

Mika Pohjola: Landmark

by Glenn Astarita
January 1, 2002

Pianist/composer Mika Pohjola represents one of those rare entities in modern music as his often-complex compositional style generally yields straightforward and easily attainable results. A musical mind at work for sure; however, Pohjola’s uncanny knack for integrating sonorous melodies with multi-layered and intricately formulated arrangements elicits notions of listener-friendliness.

With Landmark, Pohjola garners strong support from New York City-based guitarist Ben Monder, alto saxophonist Miguel Zenon and others for a multifarious and deeply stylized program. On the opening title track,Pohjola ...

Mika Pohjola and Yusuke Yamamoto (Splasch: Sound of Village

by Michael A. Parker
November 1, 2001

It’s pretty rare to hear free improvisation by mainstream jazzers, but that’s what we have here. This is not the more familiar sort of avant-garde improvisation where the musicians transcend their technique by immersion in the moment of performance, but rather a light-hearted romp through the pleasant cliches of two skillful musicians. Nevertheless, while Pohjola’s keen harmonic sense is usually jazz-inflected, this is not mainstream jazz, but a more exploratory endeavor with a stripped-down folksy sound. In particular, Yamamoto’s rhythms ...

Mika Pohjola & Yusuke Yamamoto (Splasc: Sound Of Village

by Glenn Astarita
July 1, 2001

Helsinki, Finland born pianist/composer, Mika Pohjola continues to accelerate his stature within his adopted New York City headquarters. Here, the artist follows up his excellent trio-based “Live At The Blue Note” recording with this endearing and rather charming set titled, Sound Of Village. However on this release, Pohjola shares the spotlight with percussionist Yusuke Yamamoto, for a series of inspiring duets.

The musicians’ first crossed paths while studying at the renowned “Berklee College of Music” yet as the story goes, ...

Mika Pohjola: Special Edition

by Glenn Astarita
March 1, 2000

Finnish born pianist Mika Pohjola moved to New York City in 1995 where he has been creating a bit of a stir on the local scene which is a laudable accomplishment when considering the abundance of talent in New York’s fertile jazz environment. A good sampling of Pohjola’s creative juices, composing skills and technical gifts can be heard on Special Edition which contains 16 musical tracks comprised of compositions Pohjola composed between 1994-1999 and a series of interviews which were ...